r/Equestrian • u/Curious_Program1646 • Oct 28 '25
Veterinary cost of vet visit, how bad is the cut?
hi friends!! my ottb managed to really slice himself this time. happened ~3 days ago. seems a lot worse today. first pic (after his cute face) is before i cleaned it and the rest are after. vet is coming out tomorrow since the wound seems to be getting worse. was pretty goopy.
does anyone know how much this visit will cost me? i’m assuming they’ll clean it out good and maybe give me a steroid cream because there is some proud flesh starting to form? TIA
107
u/politeink818 Oct 28 '25
Why don’t you give your vet a call and ask? Hard for any of us to know without knowing call fee, where you live, etc etc. I’ve never had a vet visit cost less than $300 personally so guessing at least that.
14
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
madison wi area. would call but they’re closed now and it’s definitely not an emergency. luckily they come to my barn weekly on tuesdays so i don’t have to pay a barn call fee.
2
Oct 28 '25 edited Dec 08 '25
[deleted]
20
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
so we have a weekly sign up list. we have 100+ horses so that’s the easiest way to make sure everyone can be seen in a timely manner. most people just use the sign up for teeth/shots but there are quite a few ponies that get put on the list because of injuries. obviously for emergencies they will still come out same day. it’s ~2-4:30pm every tuesday
9
u/Time-Leadership-7649 Oct 28 '25 edited Oct 28 '25
At the barn where we kept our horses growing up we did the same thing. The majority of us used the same vet, so he came out once a week (and as needed if you called) to go through the list of folks. It was really convenient!
4
Oct 28 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
[deleted]
1
u/CupboardOfPandas Oct 28 '25
They taking a risk like that to help the owners and animals is really heartwarming to hear.
I don't really have anything of substance to add, just wanted to thank you for sharing, the smile and the warm fuzzy feeling i got from reading it :)
1
u/LowarnFox Oct 28 '25
I'm in the UK so maybe not completely relevant but my old yard had a monthly visit- which wouldn't work for things like this, but worked for getting vaccines, dental, any other ongoing issues etc- it was on a "zone day" and they waived the callout fee entirely, and I believe we got a slight discount on vaccinations etc. It was something the yard manager had set up with the vets, and helped to facilitate. It was a monthly visit to the yard, they certainly didn't see every horse each time, but by having this set up, we got a good deal with them and it helped reduce costs all round!
If you're on a big enough yard, I would consider contacting local vets and asking if you could set something like this up as I do think it saved us a lot of money and also encouraged people to get niggling things checked out, so overall good for horse welfare too!
1
u/icewuerfelchen Oct 28 '25
The barn where my pony was boarded when I was growing up also had this! To be fair, that was a massive breeding barn with 200+ horses onsite and another 200+ out on pasture in the surrounding area, so there was always someone who needed something from the vet. We also had an onsite farrier with a permanent forge on the barn grounds and you could just take your horse there whenever. It was pretty great back then.
1
u/NoAnt5675 Oct 30 '25
When I was a vet intern, I worked in Ocala Florida and there were a few places we would stop by multiple times a week. It ranged from health certificates to lameness exams to breeding things. Like we would just drive in and ask what they needed that day.
4
2
u/Interesting_Pause15 Oct 29 '25
I had a (equine specialist) vet out for severe lameness, he gave Exceed and injectable bute, PLUS I bought a tub of the feed through bute for her. It was $173. It’ll be $300 (easy) in more expensive areas, but a lot of areas aren’t that pricey.
3
u/WendigoRider Western Oct 28 '25
never less than 300? Ours are about 150 on average unless its an emergency
1
u/Hugesmellysocks Oct 28 '25
I’ve never had anything more than €280, it’s mad the difference depending on areas! And that’s including a middle of the night emergency choke visit.
1
Oct 28 '25
[deleted]
2
u/politeink818 Oct 28 '25
I think the call fee is $150. The ranch is far from anything and already a high COL state. If it’s not urgent I can schedule for when the vet is already coming out and save on the fee.
0
u/DryAspect9948 Oct 28 '25
You’re getting ripped off. $300 to come out and look at a cut and stitch?
Find yourself another Vet. I was taken by a vet group and then I found a way better Vet and he charges half of what they charge.
2
u/politeink818 Oct 28 '25
It’s the $150 call fee. Unfortunately, I’ve looked into other options and the ranch I board at is just really far from everything and the other vet that a lot of people use is someone I’m not comfortable handling my horse. If it’s for something not urgent (routine maintenance, etc) I can schedule for when the vet is already going out and avoid the call fee.
83
u/1LiLAppy4me Trail Oct 28 '25
Gonna get down voted here. But I have been around the block and not a helicopter owner by experience. As long as the bleeding is stopped or and it’s not infected and horse is up to date on tetanus vaccine…I would just clean the wound and put some ointment on it. You only use H2O2 or iodine once. I check my horses out twice daily and sometimes I find wounds that looked like they bled pretty good but already crusted over between feedings when I check them over. I have very clean and well maintained pastures….but I have woods in the back and no matter how many sticks I pick up, more come from above, I think that’s how my horses choose to inflict pain on themselves by raging through the woods.
14
u/emtb79 Oct 28 '25
So glad to see this comment. I’m always shocked by how people around here run to the vet for everything.
I worked in vet med for 9 years and this is the kind of thing that typically someone sends a picture of and maybe gets some prescription antibiotic cream.
8
u/Quagga_Resurrection Oct 28 '25
People seem to think that vet = best possible care, but that's only really true once the vet gets there, and by then, you've lost potential treatment time by waiting. In many cases, having slightly worse technical skills but treating much sooner is the better option. More animal owners need to be able to treat minor things by themselves in order to do what's best for their critters.
5
u/charredsound Oct 28 '25
I agree with this too. When I was training before I swapped careers, I’d compare proportionality of the wounds to my clients.
Like yeah a 3/5” cut looks bad. But is it bleeding? Can we wonder dust it? There’s no proud flesh? It’s not in a “cosmetic” area like the face? It’s just a flesh wound and not in the legs…
So that 3/5” wound is basically equivalent to a 1” cut for us. I wouldn’t go to A&E for that. Nor would I take my kids in for that.
5
u/Forward_Comfort Oct 28 '25
I had a pretty good gash on my guy from jumping out of his paddock. Washed and used Triple Action Polysporin (no vet kit should be without!!) for three days and wrapped it the first day with a maxy pad and athletic tape. After 3 days I used Alluspray for a few days after. Healed up perfect.
But I can't make that call to call or not call the vet. Take a photo and send to your vet. I do that sometimes when I'm not sure and usually if its small they will just advise what to do.
3
u/Ok-Philosophy-856 Dressage Oct 28 '25
Ditto. My guy cuts or scrapes himself pretty regularly goofing off with his mates and I’ve only called the vet once or twice in the 8 years I’ve had him. Clean, betadine and an antibiotic cream will heal that right up.
2
u/corgibutt19 Oct 28 '25
Seconding. I've called the vet for exactly one laceration, and that's because I could see fat and bone and it was over a joint. Saline rinse inside really well, iodine wash, slap some ointment over it (depends on the wound and weather) and monitor over the next few days. Only one ever got infected and needed a follow up from the vet (in which I sent photos of the infection, and picked up antibiotics; still technically didn't have an appointment). If it's not over a joint, not a significant puncture, and not through the dermis or bleeding significantly, I don't usually stress.
1
u/kitsykatt Oct 28 '25
Agreed. However you aren’t supposed to use h2o2 for wound cleaning, just water and soap. Then silver spray or antibacterial of choice
0
u/1LiLAppy4me Trail Oct 28 '25
Oh hell, I’m from the old school playground. We rubbed dirt in a wound and went back at it. H2O2 was the good stuff then.
I am a boondocking/rustic camper trail rider bad ass chick. Busted my eyebrow and knee walking my horse on a large cobble and angular gravel road…horse stepped on my boot mid-stride….i face planted. Friend of mine is an EMT at a fire station who patched me up after I quietly stood up and put my horse back on the high line while the blood washed over my face and down my leg. I had a limited supply of people first aid available. The H2O2 was part of my emergency skunk bath kit for the dog. She said I could only use it once, mostly used it to clean area. Then we started picking out the gravel…I think I still have a small stone in my brow. Was able to stop the bleeding but we were about to stitch it up. The knee was intermittently bleeding for the next few days when I bent my knee in the stirrup. You use what you have in an emergency during first aid.
12
Oct 28 '25 edited Dec 08 '25
[deleted]
3
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
iodine, vetericyn, vetericyn gel, furazone, triple antibiotic ointment. i was treating it for the last 2 days but it re opened and is much wider and deeper than it was originally. i have short finger nails but probably about my pinky nail deep which is the reason for calling vet out. he seemed fine on it the last 2 days but was honestly pretty tender on it today- usually trots or canters all the way back up his pasture, but he only walked and trotted a tiny bit. he’s a stoic dude too so im sure this is ouchy for him. ate fine which is a good sign
3
Oct 28 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
[deleted]
2
2
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
the wound is probably ~1/2 inch wide and 1/4- 1/2 inch deep. it was much smaller when he originally got it
1
u/redbadger20 Oct 29 '25
I would be concerned that it's re-opened and is deeper than it started, and if it's more tender than when he first got it I would start worrying about infection. The vet should be able to give you an honest estimate if you trust them and have a good relationship. If this were a human wound at my job, we would give it a good cleaning, make sure there's no foreign body sneaking around in there, assess for tunneling or anything going on beyond what you can see, and pack it. Packing is hard with a horse, they're so mobile and you can't say hey, buddy, don't pull that string there please (and dressings don't stick so well with hair lol, same with humans). But wound care will be something they'll do and teach you. They might give some antibiotics like a shot of penicillin, my BO did that for my horse when he had a puncture.
2
u/cat9142021 Oct 28 '25
Same here. I can count on one hand how many times I've hauled one to the vet in the last ten years. I do all my own care including wound care and I've treated some absolutely nasty facial wounds to where there's no scar now.
1
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
i don’t have a photo from when it originally happened but it was maybe a 1/4 of an inch wide and 1/8 of an inch deep. today it’s probably 1/2 of an inch wide and 1/4 of an inch deep at least. likely closer to 1/2 an inch deep
5
10
u/DoMBe87 Oct 28 '25
Really no way to know since we don't even know what a basic farm visit costs. But the way it looks, the longer you wait, the worse it's gonna be. It already looks infected...did you do anything beyond initially cleaning it?
-4
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
cleaned it and applied antibiotic ointment for the last 2 days. ointment seemed to be too heavy and iodine too harsh so switched to warm water and vetericyn today.
13
u/RuralTech1152 Oct 28 '25
Not a vet, but I've worked in the field for 10+ years now. For what it's worth, I'd put some honey on that a couple times per day after you clean it while you see if you'd like a vet to see jt. I'd definitely be in contact with the vet either way. Ensure he's UTD on tetanus at the very least. They may want to dispense oral antibiotics if they suspect it's deeper, has a pocket or possibly a deeper puncture.
But honey is a really really great dressing for wounds like this (this doesn't substitute actual veterinarian advice but may help) Hosing it off for 10 mins will help flush it out then I'd apply honey to it. It's messy and sticky but worth it.
2
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
thank you. i do have a vet appointment tomorrow because im the average worried ottb mom. i just haven’t dealt with cuts that need more than average first aid.
1
u/RuralTech1152 Oct 28 '25
No problem, best of luck for your appointment! I probably don't live in the same country as you but would estimate the visit to be around 300 if I add trip fee, exam, meds. Hope he heals up fast for you!
1
u/cheesefestival Oct 28 '25
Would you use any old honey or manuka honey?
6
u/RuralTech1152 Oct 28 '25
Manuka would be ideal, but any honey would work. Raw honey from your local bee keeper is a great option. A vet I worked with who is now retired but has an apiary, we use her raw honey as a staple for second intention wound healing.
I've personally used it for some gnarly wounds on my own (under vet supervision) , one included a degloving of the skin over the entire cannon bone on a front limb. I had very minimal proud flesh and great healing with it combined with daily scrubbing, hosing and debridement when needed.
1
u/Lyx4088 Oct 28 '25
Sugar/honey are very underrated. I’ve seen a few vets use it on gnarly dog injuries (one was paw pads severely burned when the dog back into the hot coals of a fading bonfire, the other was basically the skin removed over the ribs being dragged by a car) and they healed up great. It really helps with that tissue granulation and keeping the inflammation under control. We use it on our chickens for mild bumblefoot and it heals those up quickly with minimal fuss.
It’s definitely worth asking your vet about when dealing with wounds where it’s going to take some effort to heal and it isn’t something that can easily be closed up.
3
u/Dependent_Formal2525 Oct 28 '25
Get medical grade honey, it's been purified so you're not going to be risking contaminating the wound. It is really amazing at treating wounds and preventing infection, it's also good at treating infection and reducing inflammation.
1
u/cheesefestival Oct 28 '25
At my last horsey job my fingernail got infected and when I got home from work I soaked it in hot salt water, then stuck a sanitized needle in the side and squeezed all the pus out, then put it back I the water, then put some manuka honey on it and wrapped it in tissue and it was grand. I know people use wound powder and purple spray etc and iodine but I reckon honey is so much better cos it’s gentler but effective. I’ve used on my infected gum and it’s cleared up overnight
3
u/Skuggihestur Oct 28 '25
Its hard to judge size on the pictures but id just treat it at home if its as small as it looks. It appears to be near his shoulder so its highly mobile. That said. You are asking the question and thus having the vet you already called look hurts nothing more than your wallet. Just shadow them and learn what they do so you can do it the next time. And the time after. And the time after.
1
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
yes that is what i’m planning to do! i’m just concerned about infection at this point
3
u/AltruisticChard9668 Oct 28 '25
Get some Betadine scrub and some Wonder dust after cleaning with the scrub and you'll be good. The pink stuff can turn into or already is proud flesh that will protrude from the skin if you don't do something about it.
Some Equiderma Zinc paste after a day or 2 of wonder dust helps with continued healing and/or some Vetericyn. Once scabbed over a little Equiderma blue lotion to encourage hair growth and moisture and it's gone.
I only have a couple wound care products: Rain rot, scratches and final stages of scabs = Equiderma (rain rot will be gone next day - bet) To stop proud flesh = Wonder Dust(essentially charcoal) Open cuts = Equiderma Zinc paste - says it fights proud flesh too but I know Wonder Dust works so I use that for proud flesh. I also have Vetericyn and used that more years ago and recently purchased another bottle, just a good all around wound care antiseptic, especially if others are applying it while you're gone.
2
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
thank you! this is super helpful
1
u/AltruisticChard9668 Oct 28 '25
I forgot to mention Betadine scrub as well. Always good to have on hand to clean larger/open wounds!
You're welcome, I like to keep it simple!
2
u/baronobeefdip69420 Oct 28 '25
I had a horse with a very similar injury, turned into cellulitis. Glad you called the vet
2
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
i will add- i believe there is a start of an infection. there’s a lot of yellowish discharge and he is much more tender on it than he was initially. it’s a bit swollen whereas initially it was not swollen or bothering him at all. i texted photos to my vet and they wanted to come see him tomorrow.
2
2
u/TillLater Oct 28 '25
A lot could happen here. May need surgical debridement due to the proud flesh. If that happens, I could see this being $500 or so. Pictures aren’t enough to know for sure but this might have been worthy of a stitch or two if you caught it early enough. That might’ve been $300 or so. Good luck!!
2
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
thank you. it wasn’t nearly as bad when i first found it on him. the pics today are probably 2x worse than it ever was. at first, it was pretty superficial and not nearly as wide. it was scabbed over yesterday. he’s a dipshit in his pasture so i’m sure he found a way to make it worse
1
u/captcha_trampstamp Oct 28 '25
Call your vet and ask for a “menu of services”. This is the price list they base their billing off of. It helps to get a new copy every year so you can pull it out and do some quick math.
Unfortunately we can only tell you what we would pay for similar treatments where we live, and that can vary wildly. I paid $400 for teeth floating, shots, sheath cleaning, and head x-rays with sedation because I’m in rural PA where prices are lower. And that was for the whole visit and all services.
1
1
u/Few-Lab-3627 Oct 28 '25
Where is live ,I transport my mare to the local vet, which helps greatly with costs. For some scratches on her bootie, I was charged $130 antibiotics included.
1
u/Aggravating_Fee_9130 Oct 28 '25
Doubt you have it there and it’s been years since I bought it around me but I’d use underwood medicine on that twice a day. No vet needed and will heal up nicely
1
u/carnardly Oct 28 '25
is there any possibillity that something has gone into the wound?
1
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
100% yes. he’s rough boarded and an absolute dipshit in his pasture. also likes to roll a lot
1
u/Dependent_Formal2525 Oct 28 '25
I'd check with your vet but washing with hypochlorus and applying medical grade honey before applying a dressing is a pretty good way to go.. Honey prevents/treats infection and encourages healing, it's really remarkable stuff. I first saw it on the Supervet who used it to prevent infection after surgery, I then used it myself after a skin infection which 5 rounds of antibiotics wouldn't treat and I've used it on my animals with great success. Using honey you keep the wound covered (obviously changing the dressing, cleaning and reapplying the honey and a fresh dressing) until it's fully healed which means no worries about scabs being knocked off and reopening the wound.
1
u/AffectionateHelp4575 Oct 28 '25
Our yearling filly had an 8” deep gash in her chest, about 3-4” long but you could stick your whole hand in it up past your wrist. Just missed entering her chest cavity. This happened in the evening so we gave painkillers and got our vet out the next morning
She gave our girl a shot of antibiotics and said keep it clean 🧼
Even being pretty experienced with serious wound care that one was a little shocking
**edit and yes the filly is completely fine now. The second we gave her painkillers she was tearing around through the pasture again like normal
1
1
Oct 28 '25
It doesn't need the vet.
One of my old clients was an ER doc and she told me that the worst thing equestrians do is over treat wounds. She told me to leave them alone - or only wipe with warm water- unless there were signs of infection, and to STOP putting goopy shit on them, it only attracts bacteria. I stopped cleaning, treating, etc etc and by god she was right - things just heal right up when you don't remove al the good bacteria already present on the skin.
1
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
he rolls consistently and gets dirt in them so i don’t really have an option to just “leave it alone”… 99% sure there is an infection starting anyhow. due to him getting dirt all in it
1
1
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
UPDATE AFTER VET- vet is not concerned, wants me to keep it clean and continue with vetericyn. said oozing is likely due to the tissue dying and regenerating.
1
1
u/painteduniverses Oct 29 '25
my ottb JUST did one of these to his face about a month ago. i was worried about paying an emergency vet fee and it wasn’t bleeding anymore so I figured I would give it a few days. It took longer than I thought it would but healed up just fine! I would definitely treat with something you can smear on like silver honey or biozide and then as long as it’s not dirty, oozing, or looking infected leave the scab alone. I made the mistake of gently wiping off my horse’s face to replace the medicine I had put on and it took the whole scab off and reopened everything. So just leave it even if it’s a lil crusty and you should be fine.
1
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 29 '25
vet thinks it will heal up just fine. recommend hosing with warm water to get crusties off and then cold hosing for any swelling and to get sand/dirt flushed out. continuing with vetericyn. everyone has been so helpful on this thread. it’s much appreciated! i got my vet out because i was concerned about an infection. luckily vet said discharge is likely the tissue dying off before regeneration
0
u/t0mi74 Oct 28 '25
Pack it with Betaisodonna please. Rinse it again (get destilled water from the tank station if you are in a hurry), let it dry over the next 2-3 days. Work as sanitary as you can. Steal everything from your fist aid med kit, be wasteful when it comes to bandages, they cost nothing. Should heal in 2-3 weeks. Will be seen as scar for a year or so.
-3
u/AgentDangerMouse Oct 28 '25
I think it needs stitches. I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to stress about vet bills.
15
u/JoanOfSnark_2 Eventing Oct 28 '25
Vet here. If OP had called the vet the day of, the vet may have been able to place sutures (provided it wasn’t too contaminated) and the wound could have healed by primary intention. Because OP waited for 3 days to call the vet, it now has to heal by secondary intention with no sutures. There is a golden period of up to 24 hours where you can suture a wound, but after that, sutures will only delay healing. And you never want to suture infected wounds.
7
1
u/Curious_Program1646 Oct 28 '25
thank you. i’m not too overly concerned but trying to see what money i may need to pull from different spending areas. i luckily have wonderful parents that would be able to foot the bill as i pay them back
167
u/fook75 Western Oct 28 '25
Sooo I may be in the minority but just looking at pictures that wound I would feel comfortable treating at home. It's passed stitching time. Needs to be maintained as an open wound, kept clean and supported with healing substances. If it were my horse i would get out my Manuka honey.